Not The Only Thief in Town
by theladylillian
Summary: Despicable, rotten guilt flooded Claire's emotions as she paced the floor of her small farm house, counting down the minutes until ten o clock. Of course, the feeling was inevitable; she had brought this upon herself. But she hadn't expected the so-called "ladies' man" to fall for her. "Jack!" She wailed. "I can't do this! Not again..." The title is a work in progress, sorry.
1. Chapter 1

Guilt.

Despicable, rotten guilt flooded Claire's emotions as she paced the floor of her small farm house, counting down the minutes until ten o clock. Of course, the feeling was inevitable; she had brought this upon herself. But she hadn't expected the so-called "ladies' man" to fall for her. Though, in retrospect, the signs were all there, enough so to make her rethink what she was doing.

But Claire had remained loyal- to the operation, that is. She couldn't risk going back on the plan, because everyone knew that you were lucky to even spot the Phantom Thief, and if you didn't take advantage of the moment, you were lucky if you ever saw him again.

And Claire couldn't risk losing him, especially now, not when she was so close.

Claire glanced up at the clock: 9:53 pm. She chewed her golden locks and began to pace faster. What was wrong with her? She had done this many times before. What made this time any different? Perhaps it was the fact that her victim would be arriving here with high hopes that she would accept his marriage proposal? Yes, that was definitely it.

Claire's hands shook. "Jack!" She wailed. "I can't do this! Not again..." She turned to the dark corner where her brother and partner in crime had been lurking.

"Dammit, Claire!" Jack emerged from the shadows. "What's wrong with you?!"

"I'm sorry, Jack! It's just that... Well, the first time in my life a guy likes me enough to propose to me- PROPOSE, Jack!- and I have to-"

"Don't tell me you actually fallen for that curry-eating bastard!"

"No, no! It isn't that! Jack, you have to understand-"

"You aren't backing out, are you?" Jack's dark tone always intimidated Claire: she never dared to go against his wishes when he used that tone.

Claire hung her head. "No, Jack..."

"And you haven't forgotten the plan?"

"No, Jack."

He smirked. "Good. Try to keep it that way." And without another word, much less a sound, he melted back into the shadows.

Claire had always been scared of her big brother, and for good reasons, too. If she were to mess this con up, one the two of them had spent months planning, Jack was sure to express his anger at the expense of Claire's face. She couldn't afford to cost him something so big; she needed to calm down.

An old method for calming down before a big game, Claire remembered from her days of playing for her junior-high soccer team, was to go over the game plan in your head. Maybe that would work now. Claire closed her eyes, and went back to the beginning: she and Jack were to set up shop in a place called the Forget-Me-Not Valley, a town literally in the middle of nowhere, but was also believed to be the dwelling place of the infamous thief, Phantom Skye. Disguised as farmers, she and Jack were to try to get close to the thief, befriend him, and then rob him blind! Oh, the irony of it all made the siblings tingle with giddiness. Jack, being hostile as always, never did get to know the thief, or anyone in town for that matter. But Claire, oh but Claire. From the minute the thief, or Skye, as he said he liked to be called, laid eyes on the beautiful blonde, he was determined to capture her affections.

It seemed almost too easy. Things were going well. Until Claire made the fatal mistake of falling in love. It was hard to resist him. He always knew how to make her blush with pride, how to make her feel like a sixth grader with her first crush. He made her feel beautiful. The feeling was very unusual, but Claire liked it.

Of course, Claire kept her secret hidden. She couldn't let Jack find her out. So she carried on with her usual business, watering crops and chopping branches, anything to avoid the topic of an unnamed individual with her brother.

Claire became so happy with her life, she had forgotten all about the plans she and Jack had tediously devised. She thought there was nothing in the world that could bring her down.

Of course she was soon proven wrong. The silver-haired love of her life was on his way to a death-trap to confess his love, something Claire had been dying to hear for quite some time. And to make things worse, she had been the one to lead him to his doom.

Claire opened her eyes and glanced at the clock. It was 10:01. He would be here any second now, and Claire was dreading for the moment when he would knock on her door.

Author's note: I'm considering adding one more chapter. I think the plot has potential, but I want to hear from my lovely viewers. You can review the story to give me your opinion, or you can go so far as to PM me. Whatever floats your boat. Thank you for viewing, and Happy Thanksgiving!


	2. Chapter 2

ooookay. I finally typed this up and its a bit short. Sorry it took so long, its just there were sooooooo many possibilities, seriously, but i finally decided on this. So enjoy.

Just as Claire thought that he wouldn't come, that it was just a practical joke, a slow knock sounded at the door. Claire whipped her head around and felt her heart leap into her throat. She was frozen to the spot.

"Claire," Jack whispered. "It's time. Answer the door."

Claire didn't move a muscle, too afraid to even breathe.

"Claire," Jack said a bit louder, "Answer the damn door."

The knock sounded again, a bit louder, as Claire came to her senses.

"Claire, I swear if you don't open that fu-."

"Ok, Jack," Claire scoffed. "I'm not a three year old. I think I can open a door without your help."

He snorted. "Look who's growing up. You remember the signal?"

"Yep," Claire said as she mimicked the sign Jack had taught her, to hold the feather she was to give Skye in a downward facing angle.

He nodded. "Good. Now go. You're up, Juliet," Jack growled as a third knock echoed throughout the quiet house.

Claire was a bit uncomfortable with Jack comparing her and Skye to the famous Shakespearian play, seeing both lovers had met their tragic end by the end of the plot. Nonetheless, clutching the blue feather, she took a shaky breath and answered the door. "H-Hel-lo, Skye."

The thief chuckled. "Ah, a little nervous are we?"

"Eh, just a bit," Claire lied.

He smiled. "Don't worry. I too feel butterflies whenever I am in your presence, Claire." Claire felt her cheeks grow warm as he continued. "So I assume you know what I want to talk to you about?"

Claire plastered on a smile. "Yes, your note was clear. Won't you, uh... come inside?"

"Of course, my beautiful maiden. Though I would much rather see you in the faint glow of starlight. It glorifies your natural beauty."

Claire ears detected Jack making a faint gagging noise from his position in the corner. Thankfully, Skye either didn't hear it, or didn't think much of it.

"Uh, yes, and I you, but... I have- I mean it's...uh... chilly." Claire mentally kicked herself. Chilly? If that wasn't a load of BS, she didn't know what was.

Skye raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Claire. You don't have to be a farmer to know what bull crap is when you see it. What's the matter, my dove?"

"No, it's true. I, uh, grew up in a sub-tropical climate. If its sixty degrees out, you can bet your curry I'm gonna be wearing a sweater." Claire awkwardly folded her arms. More lies, but they apparently worked. Skye dropped the subject and focused on what he really came for.

"I believe you have something for me," he teased.

I presented the feather to him, taking extra precaution to make sure it was still facing upward.

He chuckled at its cerulean shine. "Stealing the blue feather from maidens is my forte," he gave a half smile.

Claire's heart was racing. She still couldn't accept the fact that she was about to betray the one person she found herself compatible with. She racked her brain to find a way to stall. Just keep him talking, she told herself. She raised an eyebrow. "So you've done this before?"

The thief laughed as his cheeks reddened. "Well, no," he admitted.

Silence flooded the house. Claire clutched the feather in her moist hands. Not knowing what to say, she muttered, "Do you really love me?"

"Huh?"

"Do you really love me?"

"Well, of course I do!" he grabbed her shoulders. "Do you think I would come to the valley every night, risking my freedom just to see you if I didn't? Do you think I would be here proposing to you, asking you to spend the rest of your life with me if I didn't?" Her face fell. He continued. "Claire, you are everything I ever wanted. I didn't even know what love was until I met you. And even now, I still can't believe you're really giving this feather to me."

Claire dropped the feather, but didn't care as she watched it flutter to the floor. She couldn't breathe. "Skye…?"

"Yes?"

She blinked away a tear. "I'm so sorry… JACK! NOW!" she yelled as she rolled out of the way.

Her brother pounced out of the shadows and tackled the thief to the ground. He shouted in surprise, but still managed to fight back. But Jack was much bigger than Skye, and soon had him pinned to the ground. Skye yelped in pain.

"Claire…? Why?" he sounded hurt.

"Shut up," Jack spat. He then turned to his sister. "What happened to the signal, Claire?" he asked panting.

"I-I dropped the feather! I'm sorry!"

"Well, despite your incompetence and lack of efficiency, I still managed to get this scum bag. So I guess… good job…"

"Wait…." Skye managed, "You guys are cops?"

Jack laughed. "Better." He leaned closer. "Con artists. And you were just are next victim."

Skye breathed in sharply. He looked at Claire.

And the emotions in his eyes were more than Claire could handle: betrayal, shock, and disbelief. And yet, under all that, she thought she was hallucinating, was still a look of love.

hee hee. aren't i evil? Yep, yep I am. So look out for a third chapter coming soon(ish). Please review, and feel free to correct anything.


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